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30 November 2012

Game design advice needed

Righto, gaming parents (and any other readers, of course), I need a spot of advice.

In the game I'm writing and probably known as Goblinquest, characters start with a d20 as their combat dice and then, as they lose combats, this is reduced through d12, d10, d8, d6 and then d4 before ultimate glorious and heroic death (or victory, of course).

Now, the question is this. Should I keep my original plan and allow heroes to increase their Combat Dice by one (eg d8 to d10) if they kill a foe, or should I go for a more traditional RPG approach and have each foe worth a certain number of points which can then be traded for the equivalent poly-dice (eg collect eight points and you can buy back your d8 if you're down to a d6)?

As I see it, the advantage of 'original' is that it is simple enough for the introductory, parent and child game I intend it to be. The advantage of 'traditional' is that it gives more weight to slaying a dragon than a goblin, and it would allow the finding of treasure to have an in-game effect.

Hi Inkhorn. Goblins start on a d8 and skeletons on a d6 (but might not be destroyed, even if beaten...), so significantly weaker than the characters. It allows for the sorts of heroic actions seen in the stories of King Arthur, or Cu Chulainn, where the knights can cut a swathe through their lesser foes until they reach the Big Bad. Stay tuned, playtesters will be wanted at the start of March...

About Me

The escapist hobby of my teenage years has resurfaced as a way for my adult self to relax and be creative after all the important parts of my day have been addressed. Nostalgia for the simplicity of my youth is undoubtedly a part of it!